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Center for Applied Social Sciences Presents Faculty Research Thursday, March 14

VALDOSTA – A year after embarking on projects that address
various social issues, four Valdosta State University faculty members are ready
to present their research to the public. The Center for Applied Social Sciences
will host faculty research presentations in the University Center Theater
Thursday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m.

“Each
of the faculty members’ funded research underscores the operating mission of
the center,” said Dr. Darrell L. Ross, center director. “The research is
diverse in nature and demonstrates an important commitment to performing
ongoing research and scholarly activity by each faculty member. The findings of
each project are making an important contribution to each discipline
represented.”

The
center awarded faculty members $900 for each project.

Presentations
include the following:

Dr. Catherine
Oglesby, History

Georgia Senior Women
Oral History Project

This project is a collaboration between Oglesby, professor
of history, and Dr. Kate Warner and Dr. Martha Laughlin, professors of marriage
and family therapy. It is an oral history project that provides the historical
and sociological perspectives of women who were raised in the middle decades of
the 20th century (1930s to 1960s). The perspectives are examined to understand
the role cultural factors (regional, racial, sexual, class, etc.) have played
in shaping these women. Additional funding for this project was provided by the
Georgia Humanities Council, the Leona Hudson Estate and several internal
grants.

Dr. Joyce Chan,
Anthropology

Taphonomic Assessment
of Pig Carrion in South Georgia

This project establishes a decomposition timeline to
estimate the time of death and reconstruct events leading to a person's death.
A decomposition timeline is used for determining a postmortem interval (PMI)
for bodies found. Pigs were used as human analogs to determine a decomposition
and decay rate at the outdoor Lake Louise site. Entomological and decay data is
important for local law enforcement officials working with PMI estimation in
forensic cases.

Dr. Wilson Huang,
Criminal Justice

A Global Perspective
on the Relationship between Technology and Internet Crimes

This project provides a macro-perspective to theoretical
explanations of cybercrime. The study concentrates on phishing attacks and
their associations with global indicators such as computer usage, Internet
accessibility, secure server provision, mobile phone density, etc. This applied
research sheds light on certain causes of cyberspace crimes and offers
suggestions to manage this growing problem.

Dr. Chris Meyers,
History

Historical Land Use
Analysis: Richmond County Georgia

This project provides an examination of an important
365-acre tract of land in Richmond County (Augusta). It documents how the land
was used, with a focus on the operations of the nursery. The property was
originally possessed and occupied by Native Americans, who eventually lost the
land to European settlers. In the late 1850s a family of Belgian immigrants
purchased the land and turned it into one of the most famous nurseries in
America, Fruitlands Nursery. The nursery introduced many new species of flowers
and plants to the United States and the owner, Prosper Julius Alphonse
Berckmans, was the most noted horticulturalist in Georgia. Three decades into
the 20th century, the nursery deteriorated and the land was sold to become a
golf course.

All projects funded through the Center for Applied Social
Sciences are consistent with the center’s goal to expand human knowledge
through innovation, research and creative activities. The center was established
in September 2011 by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal
Justice and the Marriage and Family Therapy Program. The center assists agencies
and communities by providing policy and problems analysis, problem-solving
techniques and educational/training services to community, private and
governmental agencies.

For more information about the research presentations, call
(229) 333-5492.